It's to lift your front wheel off the ground to help get over an obstacle or ride up a curb, hop over a mud hole, etc. It's usually done by pulling the bars up and not like doing a wheelie, where you usually don't have to lift the bars yourself, but to use the rotation of the rear wheel by cranking down the pedals.

Manual and Wheelie

Manual is when you get the front off the ground just by shifting your weight. No pedaling. Just pulling on the bar isn't really enough. Shifting the whole body is more like it.

Wheelie: getting the front of the ground by pedaling. Shifting your weight helps there too.

"it IS possible that you are faster or slower than anybody else who is having at least as much if not more or less fun"

just a simple noobie to the forum, but just wanted to make a clarification. 1/2" cranks arent predominantly used for BMX and 9/16" for MTB, 1/2" cranks are the size of 1 piece cranks and 9/16" are the size of 3 piece cranks. all 3 piece cranks used in BMX are 9/16".

Really just getting into this sport. Had a Magna MTB about 16 years ago, was great at the time when I was just out of college, but definitely looking for a better quality bike...and DANG I have a lot to learn. All this lingo. Great reference.

I was riding with my friend for the first time and liked it very much. I'm decided to purchase a bike. I'm not that familiar with mountain bike prices. Found used 2003 Specialized Epic Comp for $899 with these specs:

There's a lot of stuff in the "Facts" section that aren't really facts, they're subjective preferences. Just my input.

Quick facts :

SRAM and Shimano REAR shifter and derailleur are mainly not compatible together.
Do not remove factory lube from a new chain, just wipe off excess with a rag when getting dirty. Is this a fact? I know some chain manufacturers recommend this, but I haven't seen more life out of my chains when I leave factory grease in. Maintenance is far more important throughout the life of the drivetrain.
You cannot fit a wheel that is bigger or smaller then the frame was designed for is using v-brake or canti, as the brake post will not match the rim. Use disc brake, coast-lock, drum brake or no brake. This is not true. Many different canti brakes are adjustable, like Paul Moto BMX.
Brake cable housing is bigger then shifter cable housing. same for cables. Not always. Some derailleur housing comes in 5mm (Jagwire is one manufacturer that makes this size)
You can use a FSA crank with a Shimano chain and a SRAM cassette, it doesn't matter as long as everything is designed for the same setup, such as 7 speed, 8 speed, etc.You can often use 7/8/9 speed stuff interchangeably, except for using a 7/8 speed chain on a 9 speed cassette (as it will rub adjacent gears)
Do not use grease to lube the cables and housing... teflon based lube is the best and good quality housing and cable are often pre-lubed. Most cables/housing shouldn't be lubed at all. They are coated in teflon from the factory, and lube doesn't help except to attract dirt
Use the right tools for the job. Bike and hammer rarely work well together. I use a hammer all the time, especially when things like BBs are seized into the frame. A good mechanic always has a hammer handy.

There's a lot of stuff in the "Facts" section that aren't really facts, they're subjective preferences. Just my input.

Quick facts :

SRAM and Shimano REAR shifter and derailleur are mainly not compatible together. Yeah, forgot to add that word.
Do not remove factory lube from a new chain, just wipe off excess with a rag when getting dirty. Is this a fact? I know some chain manufacturers recommend this, but I haven't seen more life out of my chains when I leave factory grease in. Maintenance is far more important throughout the life of the drivetrain.Yes it is a fact. You won't see more life out of your chain if you don't degrease it, but you'll have to do far more lubing/cleaning of your chain to keep it as good for it's entire life of service. And of course... maintenance is always there.
You cannot fit a wheel that is bigger or smaller then the frame was designed for is using v-brake or canti, as the brake post will not match the rim. Use disc brake, coast-lock, drum brake or no brake. This is not true. Many different canti brakes are adjustable, like Paul Moto BMX.Who's using canti's nowadays ?
Brake cable housing is bigger then shifter cable housing. same for cables. Not always. Some derailleur housing comes in 5mm (Jagwire is one manufacturer that makes this size)Don't confuse the newbies. They'll find out if they ever need to
You can use a FSA crank with a Shimano chain and a SRAM cassette, it doesn't matter as long as everything is designed for the same setup, such as 7 speed, 8 speed, etc.You can often use 7/8/9 speed stuff interchangeably, except for using a 7/8 speed chain on a 9 speed cassette (as it will rub adjacent gears)It's like the only exception...
Do not use grease to lube the cables and housing... teflon based lube is the best and good quality housing and cable are often pre-lubed. Most cables/housing shouldn't be lubed at all. They are coated in teflon from the factory, and lube doesn't help except to attract dirtDid I said to lube the cables that are already lubed/teflon coated from the factory
Use the right tools for the job. Bike and hammer rarely work well together. I use a hammer all the time, especially when things like BBs are seized into the frame. A good mechanic always has a hammer handy.A good mechanic should already know all those facts

That's my thoughts

Originally Posted by NicoleB28

topless. that's what all mtb girls do. we go ride, get topless, have pillow fights in the woods, scissor, then ride home!

Reviewing this thread has proved entertaining especially after seeing all the terminology that's popped-up since I last left a rather thoughtless reply....

Maybe I'll be able to redeem myself by adding -

"yard-sale": an illustrative term for a particularly bad crash"safety-meeting": um, yeah, either you know or don't

A lot of people refer to a bike's 'rear-shock'; just call it a shock! The front is referred to as a fork and everyone on this forum assumes it's equipped with suspension unless the word "ridgid" enters the discussion.